I call on the National Union of Journalists and the ASEAN Confederation of Journalists to jointly conduct an inquiry into the SUPP allegation that the Borneo Post, See Hua Daily News and Sin Hua Evening News had been biased and one-sided in the Sarawak state general elections and had caused the defeat of three SUPP candidates to DAP - including the defeat the SUPP President and Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister, Tan Sri Dr. Wong Soon Kai.
It is sad that the SUPP, which was founded 37 years ago to fight for the great ideals of freedom and justice, has become the biggest obstacle to democracy and press freedom in Sarawak and Malaysia when the country is on the threshold of the 21st century.
After the Sept. 8 Sarawak state general elections, instead of dispassionately analysing its election defeats, the SUPP leadership decided to look for scapegoats and found an easy target in the See Hua Group of newspapers. What is worse, the SUPP leadership abused its political powers and influence by getting the Sarawak state government to endorse the SUPP boycott of Borneo Post, See Hua Daily News, Sin Hua Evening News,by withdrawing all government subscriptions and advertisements - as the SUPP leadership realised that if the boycott had been confined to the SUPP, it would be a big flop!
Boycott of newspapers, to the extent of involving an elected government, is a very serious matter and must be supported by strong and convincing reasons.
However, up to now, the SUPP leadership had not been able to present a strong and satisfactory case to justify its allegation that the Borneo Post, See Hua Daily News and Sin Hua Evening News had been one-sided and biased in favour of DAP and caused the SUPP defeats, including that of Wong Soon Kai.
The facts are against the SUPP leadership, for during the Sarawak state general elections, the See Hua Daily News carried 79 items on SUPP while only 18 items on the DAP. If anyone is to complain and protest against unfair See Hua Daily News coverage, it is the DAP and not the SUPP, for it is the DAP which had been unfairly treated by the See Hua Daily News for getting only 20 per cent coverage as against 80 per cent for SUPP.
On 5th October, in response to the DAP attack that it had no real grounds for launching the newspaper boycott, the SUPP leadership carried a two-page advertisement in some Sarawak newspapers citing 13 extracts from the See Hua Group of newspapers as proof that Borneo Post, See Hua Daily News and Sin Hua Evening News had been biased against the SUPP.
Out of the 13 extracts only seven of them were carried during the Sarawak state general elections. Further study shows that all these seven extracts were drawn from five “letters to the editor” from the readers.
It would appear that the SUPP leadership would only tolerate praises to be published in the Sarawak newspapers, even if they are “letters to the editor” from readers!
The two-page SUPP advertisement, instead of strengthening the SUPP case for the newspaper boycott, has in fact exposed the baselessness of the SUPP allegation that the See Hua Group of newspapers had been biased against SUPP in favour of DAP.
I do not believe the SUPP leadership would dare to accept an independent inquiry set up by NUJ and the ASEAN Confederation of Journalists to inquire into its allegations that the See Hua Group of newspapers had been biased and one-sided against SUPP in favour of the DAP.
However, journalists in Malaysia and ASEAN must show that they have the courage to stand up for press freedom when they are threatened as in the SUPP boycott of of Borneo Post, See Hua Daily News and Sin Hua Evening News.
During the first day of the present parliamentary meeting on Oct. 14, I had moved an urgent motion on the SUPP and Sarawak State government boycott of the three Sarawak newspapers. I will again highlight this threat to press freedom during the Parliamentary debate next week.
(25/10/96)